The court heard that she had been suffering from anxiety and work-related stress and had been self-medicating with alcohol.

Paul Brown, prosecuting, said the police officer saw Hodson’s Hyundai i10 being driven at 40mph on the eastbound carriageway of the A14 near Cambridge on October 25.

He said the vehicle came to a complete stop, partly on the verge.

The officer called the police and Hodson failed a breath test.

A reading showed 140 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The limit for driving is 35 microgrammes.

Mr Brown said the nature of the A14 and the high reading were aggravating factors.

Tahir Muhmood, defending, said Hodson had been suffering from stress and had been self-medicating with alcohol.

He told the court that she appreciated the seriousness of the situation and was already seeking help.

Mr Muhmood said: “She knows what she did is incredibly wrong.”

The court heard Hodson had been on a short break in Southwold with her partner and was returning there when she stopped for fuel and bought a bottle of wine to drink later, but drank some of the wine after making a further stop.